The root cause behind 

weather extremes

Energy and water are prerequisites to life. 

Water has also the greatest ability to absorb heat from all commonly appearing substances. This ability makes it essential for the thermoregulation system of the blue planet.

At some point in time, humans started to significantly transform natural landscapes.

Traditional practices of agriculture, deforestation, and later also urbanization damage natural cycles. It is us, who set off the vicious cycle - destabilization of the water cycle by degrading the soil and groundwater, which in turn leads to continents warming up. All this results in more frequent and stronger weather extremes.

EXTREME WEATHER
& LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

I_Healthy territory

A territory with thriving native local ecosystems and a sufficient amount of water available keeps things in balance while moderating local climate

II_Negatively developed territory

Industrialized agriculture, poorly managed forests, and large urban areas impact climate negatively while bringing ecosystems to the brink of extinction.

A transformed landscape, where functional eco-systems restore local microclimate and biodiversity while improving the overall quality of life.

I_Healthy territory

In healthy, water-saturated areas, water circulates many times in small amounts and for short distances. The majority of water that evaporates condenses again in the given region. This causes the majority of the solar energy to be consumed in evaporation, as vegetation protects the ground from overheating.

Result: Frequent and regular local precipitation maintains healthy levels of soil moisture and groundwater; a well-regulated temperature within the territory over time; stable and predictable weather

 

Note:
* for example a tree with a crown of 10 m (11 yards) diameter is capable of evaporating 400 l (264 gallons) of water through breathing thus cooling off the air of 150x its volume by a degree! This is equivalent to 10 AC units, but there is a big difference though – all vegetation is entirely solar-powered, noiseless, absorb dust, surrounding noise, and what more, it binds CO2 and releases the heat bound up in water vapor in cooler locations as precipitation.

 

      

II_Negatively developed territory

A common feature of urban areas is the lack of vegetation such as tree cover, rainwater goes directly into sewage and is channeled into rivers and subsequently into the sea. The modern agricultural practice uses large draining swaths of land which is then subsequently artificially irrigated for growing crops. This large-scale draining and vegetation removal is connected with the release of colossal amounts of heat – the territory is slowly transformed into a desertified area with a significant heat island effect. *

Result: Irregular and accumulated precipitation along with urban infrastructure and dried out soil leads to a decrease of soil- and groundwater level; temperatures in the territory reach extreme levels frequently; unpredictable weather and extreme phenomena 

 

Note:
* for example sensible heat released from just 10 km2 of drained land (or 4 sq. mi – size of an ordinary small town) for a sunny day is comparable with the power generated by two nuclear power plants on that same day
** surely you had this experience before - just stand on the road or next to a concrete building during a summer day. Compare it to the refreshing feeling in a park or under a tree, even on a hot and sunny day.

      

III_Positively developed territory

We can transform a damaged developed territory into a healthy, well-functioning landscape with replenished resources and thriving restored ecosystems.

Result: Return of frequent and regular local precipitation. This replenishes the higher level of soil moisture- and groundwater; a sufficient amount of water moderates temperatures in the territory - both over space and time; predictable and stable weather is restored

 

Important:

Wait a minute!

So if you say no rainwater should ever be flushed away, where does river water come from? Well, rivers are created by streams. There is plenty of stream water originating from groundwater which creates creeks merging into larger ones to form rivers. Please check our solution section to learn more about how a negatively impacted territory can be transformed into a positively impacted one.

 

 

      

Find out more about ecological restoration to learn how to turn a negatively developed territory into a positive, well-functioning landscape.